Write Children's Books With Guidance from an Award Winning Author

John Claude Bemis is leading a workshop on writing children's books that connect with publishers and readers. This is your chance to get extensive feedback and support from an established children's book author.

  • Four weeks of in-depth guidance on crafting a stories for young readers.

  • Feedback from John Claude Bemis on your manuscript, synopsis, and query letter.

  • Full access to our private community of writers, so you can network with your fellow students.

  • Access to live office hours with John Claude Bemis and all of our instructors, even after the course is complete.

Learn the Children's Market and Prepare Your Manuscript for Publication

John Claude Bemis went from an elementary school teacher to an established children's book author, with books published by Disney and Penguin Random House. He knows the steps you need to take to find an agent, and get the right publisher for your work, based on his real world experience as an author.

In this course, John will give you a deep understanding of the children's book market, and where you can place your work within it, so that you have the best chance of connecting with the right readers and publishers.

You will also learn the fundamentals of writing for children, as well as specific strategies for storytelling that are commonly expected from publishers (and agents).

You'll then use this knowledge to craft compelling work that can grab the attention of agents and kids, while still honoring your vision as an author.

Finally, John will walk you through crafting a submission that can land an agent — and lead to a successful publishing deal.

This course is specifically designed to help authors of children's books, specifically authors of Middle Grade Books, Chapter Books, and Picture Books.

This course is based on John's extensive experience as an author working with established publishers, as well as an educator with deep experience connecting with young readers.

The course includes:

  • Four weeks of instructions on writing and publishing children's literature
  • Detailed feedback on 3,000 words of a manuscript, so you can polish your writing and prepare it for submission
  • Detailed feedback on your query letter and synopsis
  • Live office hours with John Bemis, plus daily discussion within the course itself

 

The course officially starts on Monday, October 25th and ends on Friday, November 19th. Everything is held online.

During each week of the course, you will be presented with five detailed lessons you can do on your own time, and text-based discussion with John.

Each week, you will also be given the opportunity to submit an assignment for detailed feedback from John. This includes feedback on your manuscript, query letter, and synopsis. This is in addition to the live office hours, and personal support John offers via email.

After the course ends, you will have six months to submit your work for feedback, plus ongoing access to live office hours with all of our instructors.

Because of the intense level of interaction and feedback that John is offering, the course is strictly limited to 20 students. Enrollment will close as soon as the class is filled.

Enroll Now for   $547  $447 (Early Bird Tuition)

Write a Children's Book that Connects With Kids — And Meets the Needs Publishers

During this course, John Bemis will guide you through the process of writing an engaging book that meets the needs of publishers, while still honoring your vision as an author. He'll then help you polish your manuscript, and submission packet – so you can maximize your chances of landing a publishing contract.

  • Personal Feedback on 3,000 Words of Your Manuscript

  • Help Crafting Your Query Letter and Synopsis

  • Expert Guidance on Meeting the Needs of Publishers

Personal Feedback on Your Writing

In addition to the 4 weeks of in-depth training, John Bemis is generously offering feedback on student writing. He will give you detailed feedback on the 3,000 words of your manuscript, help you polish your query letter, and provide feedback on your synopsis.


The Course is Limited to 20 Students
Because of the personal feedback John is providing, the course is strictly limited to 20 students. Once we reach that number we will close enrollment.

Workshop Schedule

The course starts on Monday, October 25th and ends on Friday, November 19th. Each week, the course includes five lessons you can do on your own time, text-based discussion with John, as well as the opportunity to submit an assignment for feedback. This is in addition to the live office hour sessions, which you will get access to even after the course is complete. Everything is provided online, through the digital learning platform hosted by Thinkific.

Note that you will have a full six months from the start of the course to submit your writing for feedback. Also note that you will have access to office hours and the course material even after the course is complete.

  • Daily lessons, available to study any time on our online learning platform, hosted by Thinkific.

  • Feedback and discussion with John via our online discussion platform, email, or our private Facebook Group.

  • When you are ready, John will provide feedback on your manuscript, query letter, and synopsis.

Enroll

Early Bird Tuition is available until October 18th.
Enrollment is strictly limited to 20 students.

About John Claude Bemis

John Claude Bemis is an established children’s book author. His middle-grade trilogy, The Clockwork Dark was published by Penguin Random House. The Out of Abaton Series is being published by Disney-Hyperion Books. He is also the author of the picture book Flora and the Runaway Rooster, published in collaboration with Heifer International. 

In addition to writing, John regularly visits elementary schools as a guest author. A former elementary school teacher, he is a winner of The Excellence in Teaching Award from UNC-Chapel Hill. 

As a teacher, his passion for sharing children’s literature with his students grew into a passion for writing, and, eventually, a successful publishing career.

He now lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina with his wife and daughter.

Reviews of This Course

5 star rating

Worth Every Minute and Dollar Spent

Lisa Kristel

Not only is John Claude Bemis a talented author and enthusiastic teacher, he also is empathetic and acknowledges the confusion and doubts that writers often face. His lectures (video and text) are filled with helpful information and charged with h...

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Not only is John Claude Bemis a talented author and enthusiastic teacher, he also is empathetic and acknowledges the confusion and doubts that writers often face. His lectures (video and text) are filled with helpful information and charged with humor—an excellent combination. I learned so much in four short weeks and enjoyed the discussion with John and the rest of the class. Highly recommended!

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5 star rating

Best Workshop Ever

Danielle Brown

John Claude Bemis's workshop, 'Writing for Young Readers' was time and money well spent. He covered every aspect of writing for this genre. Step by step he led us through the writing process and then finished off with how to get agents, editors an...

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John Claude Bemis's workshop, 'Writing for Young Readers' was time and money well spent. He covered every aspect of writing for this genre. Step by step he led us through the writing process and then finished off with how to get agents, editors and publishers to look at our manuscripts. He gave plenty of examples and answered all our questions. I highly recommend this course and Mr. Bemis.

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5 star rating

Excellent information; Caring instructor

Will Limón

I truly enjoyed John Claude Bemis's online class on “Writing for Young Readers.” His warmth and willingness to help are matched only by his knowledge of the craft and of current children's literature. The format was very user-friendly, and I espec...

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I truly enjoyed John Claude Bemis's online class on “Writing for Young Readers.” His warmth and willingness to help are matched only by his knowledge of the craft and of current children's literature. The format was very user-friendly, and I especially liked the engagement with other class members on the platform as well as the choice to complete assignments on my schedule. The text was to the point yet written in a relaxed manner, very accessible. My only critique is that I would have liked another video or two from Mr. Bemis as his enthusiasm and encouragement is most evident in that medium.

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5 star rating

Spot on for what I needed

Virginia Bergquist

I loved this class with John because it applied to my current writing project. Rather than random assignments, John was focused on the work we were already doing and how to refine it. So many invaluable insights into the world of getting published...

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I loved this class with John because it applied to my current writing project. Rather than random assignments, John was focused on the work we were already doing and how to refine it. So many invaluable insights into the world of getting published and what it takes. I cannot say enough things about the detailed feedback he gave to my assignments. John is so generous and willing to help. Thank you for a great experience.

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5 star rating

Great Class

Julie Maschhoff

I learned so much from this class. John is an excellent instructor and provided much needed suggestions. I highly recommend it!

I learned so much from this class. John is an excellent instructor and provided much needed suggestions. I highly recommend it!

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5 star rating

Loved it!

Kate Grono

I really enjoyed this course on writing for children. John was very friendly, helpful and encouraging, and clearly had a good deal of expertise. There was a broad range of information included on writing techniques and also on getting published.

I really enjoyed this course on writing for children. John was very friendly, helpful and encouraging, and clearly had a good deal of expertise. There was a broad range of information included on writing techniques and also on getting published.

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FAQ

  • What is the course schedule?

    The course starts on October 25th ends on November 19th. Each week, you will get five lessons you can study on your own time, and feedback on an assignment from John Claude Bemis. This is in addition to the text-based discussion for each lesson.

    Note that you will be able to submit your work for feedback after the course officially ends, but we ask that you do so within six months of the start of the course.

    You will also get ongoing access to live office hours, so you can continue to get answers to your questions, even after the course has ended.

  • How much time will the course require?

    Expect to spend around 30 minutes a day on the course. Some days will require less work, some days will require more. Daily lessons can be done on your own time. The meetings with John will be scheduled to best work for the entire class, and will be recorded for those who can't attend live.

  • How many students will be allowed to enroll?

    Because of the personal feedback John is providing, the workshop is strictly limited to 20 students. Once we reach that number we will immediately close enrollment.

  • How much time will I have to complete my work, so that I can get John's feedback?

    We understand that everyone works and writes at their own pace. Though the primary teaching part of the course is focused on four weeks, you are not required to submit your work during that time.

    You are welcome to study all of the material at your own pace. We do ask that you submit your assignments within six months of the course starting.